The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea macrophylla and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘B-003’. ‘B-003’ represents a new mophead type Hydrangea, a deciduous shrub grown for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.
The new cultivar is the result of a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Kurohonemura, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. The new cultivar arose from a cross made in 2008 between unnamed proprietary plants in the Inventor's breeding program; reference no. W-4 as the female parent and reference no. V-5 as the male parent. ‘B-003’ was selected as single unique plant amongst the seedling from the above cross in 2010.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor using softwood stem cuttings in 2010 in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.